Mobile device discovery and information distribution system for an indicia reader system at retail establishment

ABSTRACT

A retail store communications network, a point of transaction (POT) terminal and methods of using the same according to embodiments of the application can include a hand held and/or stationary optical reader for reading a bar code symbol of an item and generating a decoded out bar code data message. The network is configured so that the POT terminal can use linked or identified mobile devices by way of wireless communication, to provide a sequenced order of identified customers at the POT terminal among a plurality of discoverable wireless devices.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/581,788 for a MOBILE DEVICE DISCOVERY AND INFORMATIONDISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR AN INDICIA READER SYSTEM AT RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTfiled May 21, 2013 (and published Sep. 26, 2013 as U.S. PatentPublication No. 2013/0254050), now U.S. Pat. No. 9,842,327, which claimsthe benefit of International Application No. PCT/CN2010/000497 for aMOBILE DEVICE DISCOVERY AND INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM FOR ANINDICIA READER SYSTEM AT RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT filed Apr. 15, 2010 (andpublished Oct. 20, 2011 as International Publication Number WO2011/127627). Each of the foregoing patent applications, patentpublications, and patent is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The application relates to retail store network in general and morespecifically to mobile devices related to a point of sale transactionusing data terminals capable of obtaining decodable indicia and framesof image data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In various retail commercial and industrial environments, the use ofoptical indicia, such as bar code symbols, has become the norm foridentifying products and inventory. Typically, each item is marked withoptical indicia associated with a description of the item and otherattributes (for example, price) that are stored in a database of a hostdevice or network system. Optical readers are used to read the opticalindicia and provide that reading as input information to host devices.In some cases, the data is provided to the host devices via base units,which communicate with the optical reader. Examples of host devicesinclude a computer (fixed or portable), a personal digital assistant(PDA), a portable data terminal (PDT), a point of sale (POS) terminal, apoint of transaction (POT) terminal, a transaction terminal, cashregister, or similar device. Checkout stations in retail environmentsuse stationary presentation-type optical readers, (e.g., flat bedscanners, omni-directional bar code readers) mobile hand held opticalreaders hardwired to a base unit, mobile wireless hand held opticalreaders that communicate wirelessly with a linked base unit, or somecombination of the above to read optical indicia such as bar codesymbols, or bar codes. In some retail environments, the base unit thencommunicates this information to the cash register. Alternatively, thehand held optical reader can be connected directly to the cash register.

One delay in passing a customer through the transaction in the retailenvironment is identifying the customer to the cashier or POT terminal.One related art approach used for linking a retail checkout network to acustomer is to scan (e.g., using an optical or magnetic reader) anidentification card issued to the customer by the retail establishment.Generally, the identification card includes a bar code or magnetic dataidentifying the customer located on the back of the identification card.Alternatively, the customer can be identified to the retail checkoutnetwork by inputting the customer's phone number or other identifyingcriteria. However, such identification takes time and delays theprocessing of the customer at the transaction terminal by requiringadditional actions of the cashier and/or the customer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wireless communication network of a retail business environment canprovide additional capability to more rapidly complete transactions forcustomers or identify customers at point of transaction (POT) terminalsor operations involving the same. An exemplary retail businesscommunication system is a Bluetooth wireless communication system. A POTterminal can use RSSI values, which can indicate the Bluetooth signalstrength, from communicating Bluetooth devices and determine the nearestdevice by the RSSI value. The POT terminal can exchange information withdiscovered devices to form an information distribution list. Selecteddiscovered devices are identified as retail business environmentinternal devices and can be excluded from the information distributionlist.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features described herein can be better understood with reference to thedrawings described below. The drawings are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principlesof the invention. In the drawings, like numerals are used to indicatelike parts throughout the various views.

Thus, for further understanding of features of the application,reference can be made to the following detailed description, read inconnection with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary retail store network in whichan embodiment according to this application can be used;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating operations of an embodiment of amethod of operating a transaction terminal according to the application;and

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating operations of an embodiment of amethod of operating a transaction terminal according to the application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of theapplication, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. As shown in FIG. 1, embodiments according to the presentapplication can be used as part of a retail store network 100 at a pointof transaction (POT) terminal 150. In the illustrative retail storenetwork 100 of FIG. 1, the hand held optical reader 12 scans an item's102 bar code symbol, decodes the information contained in the bar codesymbol, and wirelessly communicates the decoded bar code data associatedwith that item 102 to the base unit 14 linked with the hand held opticalreader 12. The base unit 14 then communicates that bar code data messageto a host device such as a cash register 104, which can also be locatedat the POT terminal 150. For example, the cash register 104 can includea general purpose computer, controller, or processor. The base unit 14communicates the decoded bar code data to the cash register 104 via awireless connection or a hardwired connection 106 such as, for example,a USB connection, or a RS-232 serial connection to the cash register104. Exemplary wireless communication for the POT terminal 150 caninclude but is not limited to wireless Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, ZigBee,Near Field Communication (NFC) or other standardized or proprietary RFsystem or device.

In addition to the hand held optical reader 12, the base unit 14, andthe cash register 104, the POT terminal 150 may also include atransaction terminal 108 that is also connected to the cash register 104via a wireless connection or a hardwired connection 109 of the cashregister 104. The transaction terminal 108 allows a customer to use acredit card or debit card, electronic benefits card, or customer loyaltycard during or to complete a transaction at the POT terminal 150. Inorder to process the customer transaction, the transaction terminal 108is connected to an in-store server 110 through a network backbone 116.The local server 110 may, through an appropriately configured gateway112, be in communication with a remote server or additional networksincluding credit/debit authorization network 114. In response to anauthorization request that includes a customer account number and apurchase amount, the credit/debit authorization network 114 throughgateway 112 may, in one embodiment, either decline a requested purchasetransaction or approve a requested purchase transaction. Whencredit/debit authorization network 114 approves a transaction, creditcard company accounts, retailer accounts, and customer accounts areappropriately credited or debited. In addition to pricing information,the local server 110 could also communicate additional information aboutthe item 102, including, for example, inventory information about theitem 102, present or future promotions involving the item, or relatedaccessories a customer may be interested in purchasing.

One or more mobile devices 170 (e.g., 170 a, 170 b, . . . , 170 n) maybe in wireless communication with the base unit 14, the hand heldoptical reader 12, the cash register 104, POT terminal 150 and/or thelocal server 110. An exemplary wireless communication system forcommunication between fixed or mobile devices 170 (or systems) isBluetooth module technology implemented by wireless transceivers 172disposed at the mobile devices 170. Similarly, the hand held opticalreader 12, the base unit 14 or the cash register 104 can include thewireless transceiver 172, such as, for example a wireless Bluetoothtransceiver using a standard or proprietary implementation. In oneembodiment, each wireless transceiver 172 includes an RF module and anantenna and is configured to engage in two-way communication with atleast one other wireless transceiver 172 or mobile device. Althoughdescribed herein as Bluetooth transceiver 172, other standard orproprietary wireless technology can be implemented by the wirelessdevice 170 (e.g., transceiver 172).

Returning to operations at the POT terminal 150, after the base unit 14communicates an item's 102 bar code information received from thewireless optical reader 12 to the cash register 104, the cash register104 communicates that information to the store server 110 that, among avariety of functions and responsibilities, may store in its memory orotherwise have access to a price lookup table. When the store server 110receives the item's 102 bar code data message, it can correlate theprice associated with that item 102 and communicate that price to thecash register 104.

According to embodiments of apparatus and methods thereof, a wirelesscommunication capability of a retail business environment can provideadditional capability to more rapidly present customers to desiredpurchases and/or process customer transactions (e.g., at POT terminals).

In an exemplary embodiment, an application or software can resides on ahost device such as the optical reader 12 or its base unit 14 at the POTterminal 150 to which the base unit 14 is associated or connected. Theapplication or software is responsible for identifying or retrievingfrom establishment database appropriate information to determine a smallnumber of the closest mobile Bluetooth devices for a POT terminal 150such as for checkout using the cash register 104 in the retailestablishment. A Bluetooth host device can be a device implementinghigher layers that can control a separate module providing the Bluetoothlower layers. For example, if a general purpose computer or portablecomputer has a Bluetooth card operable, the computer is the host deviceand the Bluetooth card is the module. In one embodiment, the applicationor software is responsible to determine the next customer to beprocessed at the POT terminal 150 from the plurality of customers thathave Bluetooth devices using the retail establishment Bluetooth network.By identifying the next customer to be processed before the customerreaches the POT terminal 150, transactions can be made faster, overallcosts of POS transactions can be reduced and/or a customer satisfactioncan be increased.

For example, in an exemplary business environment embodiment, a retailestablishment can have one or more establishment wireless communicationdevice, each to establish communications to customer mobile devicesusing a Bluetooth wireless protocol establish a wireless communicationlink between the two. For example, upon entering the retailestablishment the customer can be alerted to participation in aBluetooth network via a query to the customer's mobile device 170 (byvisual, audible, or tactile indicator) and decide whether to establishthe link or not.

In one embodiment, mobile devices (e.g., customers) can be detected andlinked to the establishment wireless Bluetooth network upon entering theretail establishment. For example, a first mobile Bluetooth device canenter the business enterprise operating in a Bluetooth Broadcast mode.In the Broadcast mode, the first mobile Bluetooth device can transmitmessages, including the name of the first mobile Bluetooth device 172 xas well as the address of its wireless transceiver 172 x, to inform anynearby Bluetooth devices that first mobile Bluetooth device 170 x isavailable for linking. Another device, such as a host device orestablishment communication device in the retail store network 100, andset in Discovery Mode, can be informed of the first mobile Bluetoothdevice 170 x. Acting as a Bluetooth Master, the host device can initiatethe linking process of the wireless transceivers by communicating itsaddress to the first mobile Bluetooth device 170 x. After the firstmobile Bluetooth device 170 x and the host device have been linked,information can be transmitted between the Bluetooth devices. Bluetoothdevices can transmit information such as device name, device class, alist of services, device features, manufacturer, Bluetooth specificationused, clock offset, and other information on demand. When the firstmobile Bluetooth device 170 x no longer wishes to operate in linkedcommunication with the host device, the Bluetooth communication can bebroken.

A point to point link is between a master Bluetooth device and a slaveBluetooth device. A point to multi-point communication link is between amaster Bluetooth device and up to seven Bluetooth devices in a wirelessuser group. The wireless user group of up to eight devices is called apiconet. However, a master Bluetooth device in one piconet can be aslave Bluetooth device in another piconet to form scatter nets havinggreater than eight Bluetooth participants and increased complexity.

In one embodiment, the local server 110 can track all mobile devices 170participating in the wireless Bluetooth network (or networks) of theretail establishment. The local server 110 can be linked to host devices(at POT terminals 150 or elsewhere) using the network backbone 116. Afirst host device operating at a first POT terminal 150 can beimplemented at the base 14, the cash register 104 or the like.Accordingly, the first host device at the first POT terminal 150 can becommunicating with a first plurality of mobile devices 170′a, 170′b, . .. , 170′n within range. The first plurality of mobile devices, 170′a,170′b, . . . , 170′n, is a subset of the mobile devices 170 physicallyinside the retail establishment or a subset of mobile devices 170participating in the wireless Bluetooth network of the retailestablishment.

The first host device can determine a relative distance to each of thefirst plurality of mobile devices 170′a, 170′b . . . 170′n using theReceive Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value from each of the firstplurality of mobile devices 170′a, . . . , 170′n. In one embodiment, thefirst host device can determine a relative distance to each of the firstplurality of mobile devices 170′a, . . . , 170′n and initiatecommunication starting with the closest and proceeding in turn to thenext closest in the order of increasing physical distance therebetweenusing the RSSI values. The first host device can initially sendinformation to the nearest mobile device 170′_(nearest). For example,the host device can use a Read RSSI command. In one embodiment, aBluetooth device may be concurrently connected to several otherBluetooth devices with different distances and/or different receivedqualities therebetween, and accordingly, the RSSI may be different oneach link. Therefore, a request RSSI value message can use as aparameter a connection handle to identify which link's RSSI is beingread. Further, transmit power and/or receive strength can be usedtransmitted and used to determine the relative distances between. Forexample, a Read_Transmit_Power_Level command takes a connection handleparameter to specify which link's transmit power level is being read. Inone embodiment, a transmit power level command can be used to read boththe current transmit power level and a maximum power level at which theBluetooth device can transmit according to a requested type parameter.Requested power levels can be returned in a corresponding acknowledgmentmessage such as Command_Complete event. Exemplary power levels used forthe RSSI can be communicated in units of dBm.

According to embodiments of the application, the first host device atthe first POT terminal 150 can then determine a relative location usingRSSI signals from the first plurality of mobile devices (e.g.,customers) 170′a, 170′b, . . . , 170′n. The first host device can thendetermine a next customer by identifying one mobile device 170 _(next)as being the next customer at the first POT terminal 150 using therelative locations determined for the first plurality of mobile devices170′a, 170′b, . . . , 170′n. For example, the first host device canidentify the mobile device 170 _(next) based on its having a highestRSSI value, the closest position, being located within a prescribed areaadjacent or nearby the first host device, or having multiple RSSI valuesor positions resulting in a highest correspondence to the first hostdevice among the plurality of first mobile devices 170′a, 170′b, . . . ,170′n. In one embodiment, a rate of change of RSSI values or a weightedaverage of RSSI values can be used to prioritize or determine a mobiledevice position by a POT terminal 150. An operator at the first POTterminal 150 can confirm the identity of the next customer (e.g., mobiledevice 170 _(next)) upon initiating the transaction.

In an alternative embodiment, the host device can divide the firstplurality of mobile devices 170′a, 170′b, . . . , 170′n into separatelists before determining the next customer 170 _(next). For example, thehost device can further operate to try and reduce the number of thefirst plurality of mobile devices 170′a, 170′b, . . . , 170′n down to alimited number (e.g., 5). For example, the first host device can dividethe first plurality of mobile devices 170′a, 170′b . . . 170′n so thatone list is customers and another list can be “internal devices”. Forexample, “internal devices” can include employees (sales people ormanagers) or the like. In one embodiment, the list of customers and“internal devices” can be separated by frequency of detection of acorresponding mobile device 170. The frequency of the mobile devices 170detection can be used because when one mobile device 170 is discoveredvery frequently (e.g., every day or multiple times per day), then thedetermination can be an “internal device” and to be excluded from thecustomer list. For example, the host device can provide a graphical userinterface (GUI) to allow the operator to view the plurality of firstmobile devices 170′a, 170′b, . . . , 170′n as separate lists withcustomers in the sequenced order for their respective transactions. Theoperator of the host device can confirm a switch of an individual mobiledevice 170 to the internal device.

In an exemplary embodiment, a location of the participants in theBluetooth network can be monitored and the customer position (e.g.,order) can be correlated to each of the plurality of POT terminals 150.In one embodiment, each POT terminal 150 is coupled to the Bluetoothnetwork and/or a computer such as the local service 110 monitoring theBluetooth network to receive the identification of each customer to beprocessed at the corresponding cash register 104.

An embodiment of a method of initiating a transaction in a retail storeaccording to the application will now be described. The methodembodiment shown in FIG. 2 can be implemented in, and will be describedusing the retail store network embodiment shown in FIG. 1, however, themethod embodiment is not intended to be limited thereby.

As shown in FIG. 2, after a process starts, a first host device at thefirst POT terminal 150 can detect (e.g., Bluetooth discovery process)mobile Bluetooth devices (DMBDs) carried by customers within range ofthe first host device (operation block 210). The first host device atthe first POT terminal 150 can request RSSI values, which can indicatethe Bluetooth signal strength, from the DMBDs and determine which of theDMBDs are nearby mobile Bluetooth devices using the RSSI values(operation block 220). The first host device then begins pairing with aclosest DMBD of the nearby DMBDs and can send customer identificationdata for the paired DBMD. The first host device at the first POTterminal 150 can pair and exchange information with a prescribed number(e.g., 3, 5, 10) of the nearby DMBDs (operation block 230). The firsthost device can remove selected ones of the linked nearest DMBDs whenthey are determined to be on a retail store “internal device” list. Forexample, employee Bluetooth mobile devices can be on the “internaldevice” list (operation block 240). The first host device can identifythe closest one of the nearest DBMDs as a next customer of the first POTterminal 150 and provide the customer identification (e.g., using dataexchanged while paired) to the POT terminal 150 to increase a speed ofprocessing customers at the POT terminals of the retail store (operationblock 240). In one embodiment, the RSSI value can be obtained beforeadditional information is exchanged (operation block 250).

Another embodiment of a method of initiating a transaction in a retailstore according to the application will now be described. The methodembodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be implemented in, and will be describedusing the retail store network embodiment shown in FIG. 1, however, themethod embodiment is not intended to be limited thereby.

As shown in FIG. 3, after a process starts, a customer enters a retailstore carrying a mobile device equipped with a wireless communicationcapability, such as a Bluetooth or other communication modules and comeswithin the communication range of the store communication system(operation block 310). A first Bluetooth host device of the store, forexample, loaded on a general purpose computer or PC located near a storeentrance and/or store exit can monitor and detect customersentering/leaving the store with Bluetooth mobile devices (operationblock 315). For example, the detection in operation block 315 can bemade repeatedly, periodically, intermittently, or responsive to anoperator action or a sensed condition.

Upon detection of the Bluetooth mobile device, the first Bluetooth hostdevice then attempts to pair with the customer's Bluetooth enabledmobile device (operation block 320). In one embodiment, the firstBluetooth host device can attempt to pair by sending a request messageto a customer's Detected Mobile Device (DMD). The customer can acceptthe request to pair. The first Bluetooth host device then pairs with thecustomer DMD and sends the customer mobile device identification data,which can be stored by both the first host device and the customermobile device (operation block 320, Yes). The identification data can befurther sent to a Bluetooth network controller (not shown) coupled tothe wireless network or the local/store server 110. In one embodiment,the local server 110 can monitor the location of a first plurality ofcustomers having DMD within the store (e.g., all customers having DMD inthe store) and the eventual exit of each customer having its DMDconnected to the retail store Bluetooth network.

The POT terminal (POTT) 150 can have a second host device (e.g., in thecash register 104) that can monitor a second plurality of customershaving DMD within range of the second host device (operation block 330).The second host device can determine a position or relative location ofeach of the second plurality of customers by receiving an RSSI signalfrom the second plurality of customers (operation block 340). Controlcan then continue to operation block 350 where the number of secondplurality of customers can be reduced by using a frequency of detection.

In operation block 350, for example, the second plurality of customerscan be grouped into a plurality of lists including but not limited to acheckout customers list, and an internal device list for employees ofthe retail store and delivery or service personnel. In one embodiment,the internal device list can be determined by frequency of detection.For example, an employee would have a mobile device (e.g., DMD) that wasdetected virtually every day. A supervisory employee can have a mobiledevice that is detected more than once per day. In contrast, a customerwould enter the retail store infrequently.

By monitoring the position using the RSSI signal of the mobile devicesin the customer list, the POT terminal 150 can identify a customer usingthe DMD before that customer reaches the cash register 104 to completethe transaction (operation block 360). Customer identification can beprovided to the operator or cashier for the transaction (operation block370). Optionally, additional information regarding the identifiedcustomer can be supplied to the cashier or cash register 104 with thecustomer identification. From operation block 370, the process can end.

In one embodiment, additional RSSI signals from other host devices(e.g., at other POT terminals 150 or additional store host devices) canbe used to supplement position determination by the second host device(operation block 340). If three or more RSSI values for separate linksare obtained for at least one mobile device 170, the local server or aprocessor and perform triangulation processes to determine a position.

Although exemplary embodiments were described using a list of nearbymobile devices and a list of internal devices, additional lists can beused according to the application. Such list can be maintained usingtables or linked lists at a host device or remote or local server.Exemplary lists can include a master list, a list for each POT terminal,a list of DMD having RSSI values for multiple links, additional customerinformation lists such as but not limited to legal age limit lists or agroup mobile devices list. For example, in a group mobile device list,multiple people can shop together each with a DMD, but only one mobiledevice is a potential customer and the other DMD should be ignored(e.g., a parent and two children having Bluetooth devices can betogether in the retail store, but only one DMD is a potential customer).

Many of the services offered over Bluetooth can expose private data orallow the connecting party to control the Bluetooth device. For securityreasons it is therefore necessary to control which devices are allowedto connect to a given Bluetooth device. At the same time, it is usefulfor Bluetooth devices to automatically establish a connection withoutuser intervention as soon as they are in range.

To resolve this conflict, Bluetooth used a process called pairing. Twodevices need to be paired once to communicate with each other; thepairing process is typically triggered automatically the first time adevice receives a connection request from a device it is not yet pairedwith. Once a pairing has been established, it is remembered by thedevices, which can then connect to each without user intervention. Whendesired, the pairing relationship can later be removed by the user.

Pairs of Bluetooth devices can establish a relationship by creating ashared secret known as a link key in a process known as pairing.Exemplary pairing mechanisms or protocols include Legacy pairing, SecureSimple pairing, Passkey Entry, Out of Band (OOB) pairing or the like.Secure Simple pairing uses a form of public key cryptography wherein nouser interaction is required but a device may prompt the user to confirmthe pairing process.

Passkey Entry pairing used between a device with a display and a devicewith numeric keypad entry (such as a keyboard), or two devices withnumeric keypad entry. In the first case, the display is used to show anumeric code to the user, who then enters the code on the keypad. In thesecond case, the user of each device enters the same number. OOB pairinguses an external means of communication (such as NFC) to exchange someinformation used in the pairing process. Pairing is completed using theBluetooth radio, but requires information from the OOB mechanism.

However, although some Bluetooth services can require either encryptionor authentication, as such require pairing before they allow a remotedevice to use the given service. Some services, such as an Object PushProfile, elect not to explicitly require authentication or encryption sothat pairing does not interfere with the user experience associated withthe service use-cases. If a link key is stored by both Bluetoothdevices, then the Bluetooth devices are said to be bonded. A device thatwants to communicate only with a bonded device can cryptographicallyauthenticate the identity of the other device, and so be sure that it isthe same device it previously paired with. Once a link key has beengenerated, an authenticated ACL link between the devices may beencrypted so that the data that they exchange over the airwaves isprotected against eavesdropping.

Every Bluetooth device has a unique address that is generally not shownin inquiries. Instead, public or friendly Bluetooth names may be used,which may be set by a user. This public name appears when another userscans for Bluetooth devices and lists of paired devices. Most mobiledevices have the Bluetooth name set to the manufacturer and model of thephone by default. Most phones and laptops show only the Bluetooth namesand special programs may be used to get additional information fromremote devices.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art thatalthough the hand held optical reader 12 is described as separatefunctional components, the functions of any of the separate componentsmay be combined. Further, the optical readers disclosed herein caninclude a scan engine for decoding optical indicia. The scan engine inan exemplary optical reader that may be a laser scanning engine or animage capture device.

Embodiments according to the application were described as capable ofreading or processing bar codes. Without loss of generality, theexemplary optical readers can be any device capable of reading opticalindicia, such as an information bearing indicia (IBI) or dataforms thatis machine readable, such as a 1-D barcode, a 2-D barcode, a 1-D stackedbarcode, a logo, glyphs, color-codes, and the like.

Embodiments according to the application described with respect toprograms, processes, methods and apparatus herein are not related orlimited to any particular type of computer or network apparatus(hardware or software and/or network structure such as PAN, LAN, WAN.Various types of general purpose or specialized computer apparatus maybe used with or perform operations in accordance with the teachingsdescribed herein. While various elements of the exemplary embodimentshave been described as being implemented in software, in otherembodiments hardware or firmware implementations may alternatively beused, and vice-versa.

A small sample of systems and methods that are described herein is asfollows:

A. A system of a retail store network can include:

an establishment communication device configured for wirelesslycommunicating with mobile communication devices transported by userswithin the communication range of the establishment communicationdevice, the establishment communication device to provide a customer IDto each of a first plurality of mobile devices of the mobilecommunication devices.

a point of transaction terminal, comprising:

-   -   a hand held bar code reader for reading a bar code symbol of an        item and generating therefrom a decoded out bar code data        message;    -   a base unit for receiving said decoded out bar code data message        from said hand held bar code reader, said base unit including a        second wireless transceiver;    -   a cash register for receiving said decoded out bar code data        message from said base unit, said cash register coupled to said        base unit; and    -   a host device coupled to the hand held bar code reader, the base        unit, or the cash register, the host device including a second        wireless transceiver;

a server for receiving said decoded out bar code data message from saidcash register, said server coupled to said cash register and storing aprice lookup table for correlating said decoded out bar code datamessage to price information;

wherein the host device is configured to detect a second plurality ofmobile devices within range of the host device from the first pluralityof mobile devices, determine a third plurality of mobile devices as asubset of the second plurality of mobile devices using frequency ofdetection by the host device, and identify a next customer at thetransaction terminal using a position of the third plurality of mobiledevices determined using RSSI values and the customer ID provided by theestablishment wireless network; and

wherein said network is configured so that said hand held bar codereader reads said bar code symbol and transmits said decoded out barcode data message using said first wireless transceiver, said base unitreceives said decoded out bar code data message using said secondwireless transceiver and transmits said decoded out bar code datamessage to said cash register, which sends said decoded out bar codedata message to said server, which returns to said cash register priceinformation correlated with said bar code data message.

B. A method of initiating a transaction, including:

wirelessly transmitting from an establishment communication device arequest to pair with a mobile communication device being transported bya user within communication range of the establishment communicationdevice;

accepting by the user the request to pair;

pairing the establishment communication device utilizing a pairingprotocol;

linking the mobile communication device with a customer identification;

wirelessly transmitting identifying data from the establishmentcommunication device to the mobile communication device to establish afirst plurality of users of a wireless communication network;

detecting a second plurality of users within range of a secondestablishment communication device, where the second establishmentcommunication device corresponds to a transaction terminal;

generating a sequenced order of users to process at the transactionterminal;

from RSSI values corresponding to the plurality of second users usingthe second establishment communication device; and

identifying a next customer from a next user at the transaction terminalusing the customer identification from the establishment communicationdevice.

While the present invention has been described with reference to anumber of specific embodiments, it will be understood that the truespirit and scope of the invention should be determined only with respectto claims that can be supported by the present application. Further,while in numerous cases herein wherein systems and apparatuses andmethods are described as having a certain number of elements it will beunderstood that such systems, apparatuses and methods can be practicedwith fewer than the mentioned certain number of elements. Also, while anumber of particular embodiments have been set forth, it will beunderstood that features and aspects that have been described withreference to each particular embodiment can be used with each remainingparticularly set forth embodiment. For example, aspects and/or featuresof embodiments described with respect to FIG. 2 can be combined withaspects or features of embodiments described with respect to FIG. 1.

We claim:
 1. A network comprising: an establishment communication deviceconfigured for wirelessly communicating with mobile communicationdevices transported by users within the communication range of theestablishment communication device, the establishment communicationdevice configured to provide a customer ID to each of a first pluralityof mobile devices from the mobile communication devices; and a hostdevice configured (i) to wirelessly detect a second plurality of mobiledevices within range of the host device, the second plurality of mobiledevices being a subset of the first plurality of mobile devices, (ii) todetermine a third plurality of mobile devices as a subset of the secondplurality of mobile devices using frequency of detection to excludemobile devices comprising internal devices within range of the hostdevice from the third plurality of mobile devices, and (iii) to identifyposition of each of the mobile devices of the third plurality of mobiledevices from the host device using RSSI values obtained from the thirdplurality of mobile devices.
 2. The network of claim 1, wherein the hostdevice is communicably coupled to a point of transaction terminal toidentify a next customer at the point of transaction terminal using theRSSI values and the customer ID, wherein the RSSI values is further usedto determine a relative position of the mobile devices to the hostdevice at the point of transaction terminal.
 3. The network of claim 2,wherein the point of transaction terminal comprises: a hand held barcode reader for reading a bar code symbol of an item and generatingtherefrom a decoded out bar code data message; a base unit for receivingthe decoded out bar code data message from the hand held barcode reader;and a cash register for receiving the decoded out bar code data messagefrom the base unit; wherein the host device is coupled to the hand heldbar code reader, the base unit, and/or the cash register.
 4. The networkof claim 3, a server for receiving the decoded out bar code data messagefrom the cash register, the server coupled to the cash register andstoring a price lookup table for correlating the decoded out bar codedata message to price information.
 5. The network of claim 4, whereinthe network is configured so that (i) the hand held bar code readerreads the bar code symbol and transmits the decoded out bar code datamessage to the base unit, (ii) the base unit receives the decoded outbar code data message and transmits the decoded out bar code datamessage to the cash register, (iii) the cash register sends the decodedout bar code data message to the server, and (iv) the server returnsprice information correlated with the decoded out bar code data messageto the cash register.
 6. The network of claim 1, wherein the network isconfigured so that the establishment communication device has a linkingmode in which an identification address of the establishmentcommunication device is exchanged with the mobile communication devicesto identify the first plurality of mobile devices as participating inthe network.
 7. The network of claim 1, wherein RSSI values receivedfrom the third plurality of mobile devices within range are used todetermine a sequenced, increasing-distance order of the third pluralityof mobile devices relative to the host device.
 8. The network of claim1, wherein the host device is configured to determine whether a memberof the second plurality of mobile devices is an employee by assessingwhether the frequency of detection is greater than a first thresholdrate of detection.
 9. The network of claim 1, comprising: a second pointof transaction terminal including a second host device, wherein an RSSIvalue is wirelessly received by the second host device from each of thethird plurality of mobile devices; and a third point of transactionterminal including a third host device, wherein an RSSI value iswirelessly received by the third host device from each of the thirdplurality of mobile devices; wherein the RSSI values are used todetermine a sequenced order of the third plurality of mobile devices atthe point of transaction terminal with corresponding customer IDs. 10.The network of claim 9, wherein the RSSI values are used to determine asequenced order of the third plurality of mobile devices at the firstpoint of transaction terminal, the second point of transaction terminaland the third point of transaction terminal.
 11. The network of claim 9,wherein the RSSI values are used to identify a next customer at thefirst point of transaction terminal, the second point of transactionterminal, and the third point of transaction terminal using a pluralityof RSSI values for each next customer.
 12. A network comprising: one ormore host devices configured to: detect a first plurality of mobiledevices within a range of the one or more host devices; detect a secondplurality of mobile devices as a subset of the first plurality of mobiledevices to exclude mobile devices comprising internal devices from thefirst plurality of mobile devices using frequency of detection; identifya position of each mobile device of the second plurality of mobiledevices from the one or more host devices using RSSI values obtainedfrom the second plurality of mobile devices; determine a third pluralityof mobile devices as a subset of the second plurality of mobile devicesusing frequency of detection to exclude mobile devices comprisinginternal devices within range of the one or more host devices from thethird plurality of mobile devices, and identify a position of each ofthe mobile devices of the third plurality of mobile devices from thehost device using RSSI values obtained from the third plurality ofmobile devices.
 13. The network of claim 12, comprising: anestablishment communication device configured for wirelesslycommunicating with mobile communication devices transported by userswithin the communication range of the establishment communicationdevice, the establishment communication device provides a customer ID toeach of the first plurality of mobile devices from the mobilecommunication devices and to confirm using the customer ID whencompleting a transaction at the point of transaction terminal.
 14. Thenetwork of claim 12, wherein the position of each of the secondplurality of mobile devices includes a relative position of each of thesecond plurality of mobile devices to the one or more host devices of apoint of transaction terminal, wherein the relative position is aposition history over a 15 second, 30 second, or 1 minute interval. 15.The network of claim 12, wherein the first plurality of mobile devicesare defined as non-excluded mobile devices and excluded mobile devicesafter excluding the internal devices from the first plurality of mobiledevices, and wherein an RSSI value received from each of thenon-excluded mobile devices within the range is used to determine asequenced increasing distance order of the second plurality of mobiledevices to the one or more host devices.
 16. The network of claim 12,wherein the one or more host devices are configured to determine that amember of the first plurality of mobile devices is transported by anemployee when the frequency of detection is greater than a firstthreshold of detections per day, wherein the member determined astransported by the employee comprises an excluded mobile device of theexcluded mobile devices.
 17. The network of claim 13, wherein the pointof transaction terminal comprises a first point of transaction terminal,the retail store network further comprising: a second point oftransaction terminal including a second host device including a thirdwireless transceiver, wherein an RSSI value is received by the secondhost device from each of the second plurality of mobile devices; and athird point of transaction terminal including a third host deviceincluding a fourth wireless transceiver, wherein an RSSI value isreceived by the third host device from each of the second plurality ofmobile devices, where the RSSI values from each of the non-excludedmobile devices along with corresponding customer IDs are used todetermine a sequenced order of the non-excluded mobile devices at thefirst point of transaction terminal.
 18. The network of claim 17, wherethe RSSI values from each of the non-excluded mobile devices along withcorresponding customer IDs are used to determine a sequenced order ofthe non-excluded mobile devices at the first point of transactionterminal, the second point of transaction terminal, and the third pointof transaction terminal.
 19. The network of claim 17, where the RSSIvalues along with a plurality of RSSI values for each next customer areused to identify a next customer at the point of transaction terminal,the second point of transaction terminal, and the third point oftransaction terminal.
 20. A system comprising: a first plurality ofmobile communication devices, a second plurality of mobile communicationdevices, and a point of transaction terminal, comprising: a hand heldbar code reader for reading a bar code symbol of an item and generatingtherefrom a decoded out bar code data message; a base unit for receivingsaid decoded out bar code data message from said hand held bar codereader, said base unit including a second wireless transceiver; a cashregister for receiving said decoded out bar code data message from saidbase unit, said cash register coupled to said base unit; and a hostdevice coupled to the hand held bar code reader, the base unit, or thecash register, the host device including a first wireless transceiver,and wherein the host device is configured to: detect the first pluralityof mobile communication devices within a range of the host device,detect the second plurality of mobile communication devices as a subsetof the first plurality of mobile communication devices to exclude mobilecommunication devices comprising internal devices from the firstplurality of mobile communication devices using frequency of detection,wherein the second plurality of mobile communication devices are definedas an internal list of mobile devices and a nearby mobile device listafter excluding the internal devices from the second plurality of mobilecommunication devices, and identify a relative position of each mobilecommunication device of the second plurality of mobile communicationdevices from the host device using RSSI values obtained from the secondplurality of mobile communication devices; determine a third pluralityof mobile communication devices as a subset of the second plurality ofmobile communication devices using frequency of detection to excludemobile communication devices comprising internal devices within range ofthe host device from the third plurality of mobile communicationdevices, and identify a position of each of the mobile communicationdevices of the third plurality of mobile communication devices from thehost device using RSSI values obtained from the third plurality ofmobile communication devices.
 21. The system of claim 20, wherein eachof the first and second plurality of mobile communication devicestransmits one of device name, device class, a list of services, devicefeatures, device manufacturer, communication specifications used, clockoffset, and their combinations to the host device.
 22. The system ofclaim 20, wherein the host device is further configured to identify therelative position of each mobile communication device of the secondplurality of mobile communication devices to the host device at thepoint of transaction terminal using transmit power levels obtained fromthe second plurality of mobile communication devices.
 23. The system ofclaim 22, wherein the host device may receive both a current transmitpower level and a maximum transmit power level of the second pluralityof mobile communication devices.
 24. The system of claim 22, wherein therelative position of the second plurality of mobile communicationdevices to the point of transaction terminal is determined using one ofa rate of change of RSSI values and weighted average of RSSI values. 25.The system of claim 20, wherein the second plurality of mobilecommunication devices are further defined into additional lists based onone of legal age limit and potential customers.
 26. A method comprising:wirelessly communicating from an establishment communication device withmobile communication devices transported by users within thecommunication range of the establishment communication device, theestablishment communication device configured to provide a customer IDto each of a first plurality of mobile devices from the mobilecommunication devices; wirelessly detecting, by a host device, a secondplurality of mobile devices within range of the host device, the secondplurality of mobile devices being a subset of the first plurality ofmobile devices; determining a third plurality of mobile devices as asubset of the second plurality of mobile devices using frequency ofdetection to exclude mobile devices comprising internal devices withinrange of the host device from the third plurality of mobile devices; andidentifying positions of each of the mobile devices of the thirdplurality of mobile devices from the host device using RSSI valuesobtained from the third plurality of mobile devices.
 27. The method ofclaim 26, further comprising: initiating a transaction by: wirelesslytransmitting from an establishment communication device a request topair with a mobile communication device being transported by a userwithin communication range of the establishment communication device;accepting by the user the request to pair; pairing the establishmentcommunication device utilizing a pairing protocol; linking the mobilecommunication device with a customer identification; wirelesslytransmitting identifying data from the establishment communicationdevice to the mobile communication device to establish a first pluralityof users of a wireless communication network; detecting a secondplurality of users within range of a second establishment communicationdevice, wherein the second establishment communication devicecorresponds to a transaction terminal; generating a sequenced order ofusers to process at the transaction terminal from the RSSI valuescorresponding to the plurality of second users using the secondestablishment communication device; and identifying a next customer froma next user at the transaction terminal using the customeridentification from the establishment communication device.
 28. Themethod of claim 27, further comprising: confirming the customeridentification of the next customer with the next customer; and usingthe customer identification when completing the transaction.
 29. Themethod of claim 27, comprising: plotting a plurality of historicalpositions for each of the plurality of second users using correspondinghistorical RSSI values; and determining the next user using acorrelation comparison of historical positions for the plurality ofcustomers.
 30. The method of claim 27, wherein an RSSI value receivedfrom each of the plurality of second users within range are used todetermine a sequenced increasing distance order of the plurality ofsecond users.
 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the detecting theplurality of customers from the plurality of users comprises:determining an identity for each of the plurality of users throughcommunication with the server; determining a frequency of detection foreach identified user; and determining the user is an employee when thefrequency of detection is greater than a first threshold of detectionsper day.